While opinion in Hong Kong is divided over the Government's recent moves on migrants, there is one group who will be celebrating: corrupt mainland officials.
Amid all the rows over who would get right of abode, the Government's announcement that it wanted to return to the permit system that was struck down by the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) in January received less attention. This system, according to groups supporting split families, has allowed bribes totalling millions of yuan to change hands.
Ho Hei-wah, the director of Society for Community Organisation, says not everyone needs to pay a bribe but, averaging out across those who have to pay and those who don't, results in a 'very, very conservative estimate' of the equivalent of $30,000 to $40,000 each.
The Government wants the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) to help it put this system back in place. If the Government gets its way, the revived permit system coupled with the extra 200,000 people who need permits to come to Hong Kong would mean a $6 billion windfall to cadres who implement the system.
Mr Ho knows of one person who not only paid $500,000, but also had to 'donate' a minivan.
As well as one-off payments, there are 'entertainment fees' associated with interviews and the step-by-step processing of the permit, such as dinners, bottles of wine or the occasional TV set in a process that may drag out for years. 'The system is very corrupt,' says Mr Ho.